Electoral System

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: On the 25 May my department published a policy paper on electoral administration which seeks views on a number of issues relating to the way elections are run. My right honourable friend the Minister of State Department for Constitutional Affairs, Harriet Harman has also written to all honourable Members enclosing a copy of the paper and inviting them to respond as part of the consultation process. Copies of the paper have also been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
	The paper seeks views on our proposals for changes to the administrative arrangements for elections, in particular on those which relate to postal voting and registration. We intend to implement these measures in time for the local elections due next May, so to meet the legislative timetable the time for responses is short. But we are keen to engage all stakeholders in the process so that effective and workable solutions are developed.

Independent Monitor for Entry Clearance: Annual Report 2003

Lord Triesman: I have today placed in the Library a copy of the second annual report by Fiona Lindsley, the independent monitor for entry clearance refusals without the right of appeal.
	Decisions taken in the calendar year 2003 were under review. Ms Lindsley's report raises a number of interesting proposals as to how we may improve our entry clearance operation world-wide and we are committed to doing this.
	I wish to express my thanks to Ms Lindsley for her continued hard work in completing this, her second report as independent monitor for entry clearance matters.

National Spatial Address Infrastructure

Baroness Andrews: My right honourable friend the Minister for Local Government has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The Government are today announcing plans for a new national, high-quality spatial address infrastructure building on the work already undertaken by Ordnance Survey and local government. The aim is to provide a single national database that will be maintained through a partnership approach and a collaborative framework of address and property identifiers. This will be developed and operated by Ordnance Survey in partnership with local and central government. The joint prospectus, launched today, which describes the proposal in more detail, is available on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website. The Government seek comments from interested parties by the end of June. The database, currently to be known as the National Spatial Address Infrastructure (NSAI), will support a wide range of services delivered by central and local government and the private sector.
	The infrastructure will build on local land and property gazetteers (LLPGs), the national land and property gazetteer (NLPG), the national street gazetteer, the postcode address file (PAF) and Ordnance Survey AddressPoint. NSAI will draw on the expertise of stakeholders including local authorities, Royal Mail Group plc, the Office for National Statistics and the Valuation Office Agency.
	The main partners, Ordnance Survey and the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA), have agreed heads of terms for the development process. A first cut of the NSAI will become available eight months after the full agreement is signed, paving the way towards a final structure after 18 months. The NSAI will initially relate to England and Wales. Longer term, the plan is to include information from Scotland and Northern Ireland to create a UK-wide infrastructure.
	Stakeholders will have a continuing input to the process via a governance process that will encourage participation at a number of different levels. This group will be chaired by a senior official at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. £2.3 million is also being made available by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister from the local e-government programme to Surrey County Council acting as lead authority for local government to enable the transfer of the NLPG database to the NSAI and to help facilitate local government's transition from one system to the other.

Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency: Business Plan 2005–06

Lord Warner: My right honourable friend the Minister of State, Department of Health (Jane Kennedy) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The 2005–06 business plan for the medicines and healthcare products regulatory agency has today been presented to Parliament. The plan contains the agency's key targets for the year.
	Copies of the plan have been placed in the Library.

Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council

Lord Warner: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Health has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The next meeting of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council will be on 2–3 June. I will attend for the United Kingdom. Items on the agenda relating to health will be covered on 3 June. Items for discussion are: European Commission proposals for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on medicinal products for paediatric use; and the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on nutrition and health claims made on foods; the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the addition of vitamins, minerals and other substances to food; the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a programme of community action in health and consumer protection; obesity, nutrition and physical activity; combating HIV/AIDS; and mental health.
	Health Ministers will have an orientation debate on paediatric medicines. The UK can support the Commission's proposal for the articles under discussion.
	There will be a public debate on the objectives of the European Commission's proposed programme of action in the field of health and consumer protection. The Presidency will ask the member states whether they support the health objectives in the proposal. The UK can support the general direction of the objectives.
	Ministers will be asked to adopt draft council conclusions on obesity, nutrition and physical activity, calling on member states to develop initiatives aimed at promoting health diets and physical activity. The Presidency will present draft council conclusions on HIV/AIDS, inviting member states to take further action in fighting HIV/AIDS.
	Ministers will also be asked to adopt draft council conclusions on mental health, inviting member states to implement comprehensive mental health systems that cover promotion and prevention as well as treatment and care. The UK can support the three sets of draft conclusions as drafted.
	Under any other business, the Presidency and the Commission will provide information on the international health regulations and on the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control. The European Commission will provide information on the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, environment and health and the work of the Commission-led high-level group on healthcare in the European Union. There will also be a progress report on the proposed directive modifying directive 95/2/CE on food additives and directive 94/35/CE on colourings used in food.
	Ministers will also discuss preparation for an influenza pandemic and the health response to the tsunami in south Asia.

Digital Screen Network

Lord Davies of Oldham: My honourable friend the Minister for Sport (James Purnell) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	I am pleased to inform the House that the UK Film Council has today announced the 209 cinemas that will be part of its £11.7 million lottery funded digital screen network.
	This digital screen network is a world first that puts the UK at the forefront of digital cinema technology. In return for digital projection equipment, cinemas have committed to the showing of more specialised, non-mainstream, films. The result will be an additional 75,000 specialised film screenings in the first full year of the initiative, rising to 165,000 in year four. The digital screen network will ensure that people right across the UK, and not just those in the major cities, will be able to access a broader range of films.
	This initiative is in addition to the UK Film Council funding of £2 million a year to support the distribution of specialised films and the £1 million already spent to ensure that more cinemas are able to show films in formats accessible to cinemagoers with sensory disabilities.

Regulatory Impact Assessment

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Government are committed to ensuring that regulations are necessary, give effective protection, balance cost and risk, are fair and command public confidence.
	In accordance with this, we require departments to produce and publish RIAs for all regulatory proposals likely to have an impact on business, charities or voluntary bodies.
	My right honourable friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has today presented to Parliament a Command Paper [Cm 6552] listing RIAs published between 1 July and 31 December 2004. Copies of those listed have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. This is the 22nd such Command Paper.

EU Presidency 2005: UK Agenda for Economic Reform

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Chancellor of the Exchequer has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	Europe must adapt to the changing balance of global economic activity and the rise of fast-growing emerging economies. Only a globally-orientated Europe—focused on macro-economic stability, marrying flexibility and fairness in employment markets, championing enterprise and innovation, and open to trade—can forge a new route to social justice in a global age.
	Among the reform initiatives we wish to move forward to help equip Europe to meet the global economic challenge:
	Competitiveness and Regulation
	Reaching agreement among all 25 member states to the six presidencies initiative, putting regulatory reform at the heart of ECOFIN's work programme.
	A risk-based approach to EU regulation that cuts down on administrative burdens.
	All regulatory proposals to be tested for their impact on competitiveness.
	Setting up an independent business-led advisory group to give business a central role in the EU rule-making and simplification process.
	The European Lamfalussy committees on banking, securities and insurance to report annually to ECOFIN, starting during the UK presidency, on proposals to reduce burdens on business.
	Jobs
	Member states to publish Lisbon national reform programmes explaining how they will each implement further structural reform, including reform of their labour markets.
	Competition, State Aid and Innovation
	Delivering full energy market liberalisation by 2007.
	A new framework for an ambitious, in-depth approach to market investigations and a clear timetable for identifying priority sectors for investigation.
	The UK will chair a conference in London in July to reinforce commitments to reduce distortive state aids.
	Progress on a more cost-effective European intellectual property regime.
	International co-operation
	An EU-India financial markets regulatory dialogue, parallel to the EU-China dialogue.
	USA-EU co-operation
	Calling on the EU-US summit in June to set out an ambitious new economic partnership including creating a barrier free transatlantic financial market.
	And because I believe this aim of European economic reform is one around which we can build a national consensus, and one that all parties will want to support, I have written to the honourable member for Huddersfield to ask whether his committee on Europe can take the lead in this work. I urge all parties to participate.